Day Three – May 27
MOUNT LAGUNA TO SUNRISE HIGHWAY
18.4 miles (Trip Total: 59.5)
We were packed and ready to go by 5:30 a.m. It was a chilly start but much preferred to the afternoon heat. By about nine it was already hot.
The sun is no joke.
We've already gone through a tube of sunscreen. We've been wearing hoodies that I'm pretty sure were made for fly-fishing, but they have been great for keeping the sun off our necks and faces.
The only reliable water was seven miles in, so we filled up four liters there to get to a road crossing eleven miles further.
For most of the day we hiked along the Sunrise Highway and around 11 a.m. we stopped at a day-use area with some nice shade and bedded down for a few hours. Kelly napped while I read a bit of my book.
After a couple hours we got our act together, and made some lunch – a packet of lemon pepper tuna, and a tortilla with refried black beans, cheddar, and turkey pepperoni.
Our plan was to hike about seven more miles from our lunch spot to a place where the trail crossed the Sunrise Highway to get a hitch into Julian, Calif. This meant we'd be hiking through the hottest part of the day with the hot orb bearing down on us.
Not long after leaving lunch, we ran into Steve, a trail angel. He gave us some fruit, a cookie, and water. It was a huge morale boost that definitely made the next few miles easier.
Baby Squirrel, another hiker, was with us most of the afternoon. He's a neat guy – just graduated high school a few days ago and started North from Campo the same day as us. We got to the highway around 4 p.m. and stuck our thumbs out. It didn't take long for the three of us to get a ride. A nice family with two dogs let our smelly selves pile into the cab of their pickup and took us into Julian.
Turns out they were heading to the same pie place we were, Mom's.
Mom's is the best. If you show them your PCT permit they give you a free slice of pie, scoop of ice cream, and a drink.
It was heaven.
Mom's was packed with a line out the door, but the cashiers were super friendly and stopped to chat with us line be damned.
From Mom's we made our way to Carmen's. Carmen's is a restaurant owned by, you guessed it, Carmen. This place has a huge sign in front saying PCT hikers welcome. We grabbed dinner and spent the night on the porch.
Carmen is a saint of a woman that lets grubby hikers hang out, do laundry, and sleep on the floor of her restaurant.
18.4 miles (Trip Total: 59.5)
We were packed and ready to go by 5:30 a.m. It was a chilly start but much preferred to the afternoon heat. By about nine it was already hot.
The sun is no joke.
We've already gone through a tube of sunscreen. We've been wearing hoodies that I'm pretty sure were made for fly-fishing, but they have been great for keeping the sun off our necks and faces.
The only reliable water was seven miles in, so we filled up four liters there to get to a road crossing eleven miles further.
For most of the day we hiked along the Sunrise Highway and around 11 a.m. we stopped at a day-use area with some nice shade and bedded down for a few hours. Kelly napped while I read a bit of my book.
After a couple hours we got our act together, and made some lunch – a packet of lemon pepper tuna, and a tortilla with refried black beans, cheddar, and turkey pepperoni.
Our plan was to hike about seven more miles from our lunch spot to a place where the trail crossed the Sunrise Highway to get a hitch into Julian, Calif. This meant we'd be hiking through the hottest part of the day with the hot orb bearing down on us.
Not long after leaving lunch, we ran into Steve, a trail angel. He gave us some fruit, a cookie, and water. It was a huge morale boost that definitely made the next few miles easier.
Baby Squirrel, another hiker, was with us most of the afternoon. He's a neat guy – just graduated high school a few days ago and started North from Campo the same day as us. We got to the highway around 4 p.m. and stuck our thumbs out. It didn't take long for the three of us to get a ride. A nice family with two dogs let our smelly selves pile into the cab of their pickup and took us into Julian.
Turns out they were heading to the same pie place we were, Mom's.
Mom's is the best. If you show them your PCT permit they give you a free slice of pie, scoop of ice cream, and a drink.
It was heaven.
Mom's was packed with a line out the door, but the cashiers were super friendly and stopped to chat with us line be damned.
From Mom's we made our way to Carmen's. Carmen's is a restaurant owned by, you guessed it, Carmen. This place has a huge sign in front saying PCT hikers welcome. We grabbed dinner and spent the night on the porch.
Carmen is a saint of a woman that lets grubby hikers hang out, do laundry, and sleep on the floor of her restaurant.
 |
| Memorialized footprints at Carmen's. |
On Day 4, we're going to do a food resupply and relax during the day before we hitch back to the trail to start hiking around 4 p.m. after the hottest part of the day.
Let me know where I can send supplies, I am thinking that maybe this would be a viable option
ReplyDeleteor something like this, not freeze dried but dry
http://www.wisefoodstorage.com/wise-7-day-food-supply.html let me know if you are interested